What to watch, read and listen to this weekend: Lost Lambs, Help(2) and Ali's Wedding

From a laugh-out-loud novel to classic TV for adults and kids, there's plenty of culture to dig into this weekend.

Book: Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

Published by Doubleday

ABC Arts reviewer Ying-Di Yin called it "sharp, strange and unexpectedly tender". On ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf, author Michael Robotham described it as absurdist, witty, charming and "a complete sugar rush".

So, does Lost Lambs, a satirical family drama-slash-crime caper by US author Madeline Cash, live up to the hype? 

In a word, yes. All the preoccupations of the current moment are found within its pages: a dysfunctional family, an open marriage, a badly behaved billionaire, institutional corruption, questions of faith, the unethical practices of the nascent longevity industry and a midlife pivot to lesbianism. But more than being timely, incisive and astonishingly clever, Cash's debut novel is plain laugh-out-loud funny.

- Nicola Heath

Classic TV show: ER

Streaming on ABC iview, HBO Max and Netflix

I am not the only person watching ER right now. It keeps coming up in my conversations with friends — and even strangers. All of us are diving into its 15 seasons for either a nostalgic rewatch or the very first time.

Perfectly filling the void each week between new episodes of The Pitt, it's where The Pitt's creator R Scott Gemmill learned his craft and its star Noah Wyle was first recognised as the hunk he is (but before he made a clean sweep of TV awards season).

Wyle plays medical student John Carter, whose plucky, compassionate approach to patient care makes you wish he was your doctor, too. And if he's not your type, there's a young George Clooney as a paediatric doctor, smouldering in every scene and pathologically averse to commitment. The will-they-won't-they between him and Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), a nurse and his ex-girlfriend, is all-time.

Sure, there's more melodrama in ER than The Pitt, but at its core is a group of well-meaning medical professionals grappling with the issues facing medicine in the 90s, from HIV to violence against staff. And there's even a bizarre stylised Mother's Day episode directed by Quentin Tarantino. Yes, that's real.

— Hannah Story

Album: Various Artists — Help(2)

Out today via War Child Records

In 1995, a group of high-profile artists joined forces for The Help Album, the first of many fundraisers for the War Child organisation. Thirty‑one years later comes Help(2), an even bigger collection showcasing some of the most prominent names across the full spectrum of indie music.

It kicks off with Opening Night, the simmering new single from Arctic Monkeys, and rolls through a mix of old favourites (Beth Gibbons, Depeche Mode) and fresher faces (Cameron Winter, Beabadoobee), each offering previously unheard work.

Fontaines D.C.'s menacing take on Sinéad O'Connor is transformative. Olivia Rodrigo, meanwhile, has an easier job: Tommy Raudonikis could sing The Magnetic Fields' Book of Love and it'd still be stunning.

From fresh takes on old favourites to unexpected collaborations, every single track here is well worth your time.

- Dan Condon

On streaming: Ali's Wedding

Streaming on ABC iview

Billed as Australia's "first Muslim rom-com", Ali's Wedding takes us into the slapstick and heartwarming world of a young Iraqi Australian man living in a tight-knit Muslim community in Melbourne.

Ali (Osamah Sami) is determined to live up to the expectations of his beloved father, and all those around him, by becoming a doctor. But pulling that off requires lying. A lot. And that's before he meets the girl of his dreams, who isn't the one to which he is betrothed.

Based on Sami's award-winning memoir Good Muslim Boy, there's a hefty dose of absurd humour — primarily from the Saddam Hussein comedy musical being staged at the mosque — and some poignant insights into what life is like for Muslim people in a country that often misunderstands them, if it's not being openly hostile.

Importantly, the parents and leaders of this community are not one-dimensional characters oppressing their children, but nuanced people with their own losses and hopes.

And don't forget the romance! The young love that burgeons between Ali and the radiant Dianne (Helana Sawires) is so tender and pure it will defrost even the coldest heart.

- Katherine Smyrk

For the kids: Mr Bean: The Animated Series

Streaming on ABC iview

Mr Bean is back, and tormenting London's local residents one chaotic episode at a time.

With his faithful sidekick Teddy and long-suffering girlfriend Irma by his side, there's nostalgia for the parents and laugh-out-loud moments for the kids.

If you struggle to wrangle smart phones and robot vacuums, spare a thought for the notoriously clumsy Mr Bean as he navigates the digital age.

But aside from his more modern mishaps, you'll find the bachelor up to his old tricks too, causing damage on the dancefloor and havoc on holidays.

Rowan Atkinson voices this short-on-words animated Mr Bean in what must be one of the least-demanding gigs of the English actor's celebrated career.

Love Mr Bean or hate him (or oddly, both — honestly, how can one man cause so much chaos?), there's something for the whole family. Parents, you can thank me later.

- Felicity Sheppard

Recipe: Mujadara roz: Lentils and rice with caramelised onion

If you are not one of the 600,000 — 800,000 or so people in Australia who observe Ramadan, you may not know it is currently the middle of the month-long dawn-to-dusk fasting period.

This simple but delicious dish from Lina Jebeile is the perfect Ramadan meal, and not just for those who are fasting. It's perfect for anyone looking for an affordable, wholesome and satisfying meal that is made from pantry ingredients.

Every ingredient serves a purpose. The caramelised onions give richness and sweetness, the spices bring depth and earthiness, and the rice soaks up all that flavour as it all cooks in one pot.

I can recommend it as a excellent way to happily fill tummies for dinner and lunch boxes the next day.

- Jo Joyce